Ohio
Riding 15-game road losing streak, history is at stake as Ohio State men travel to Wisconsin
Yes, Ohio State is 2-8 in its last 10 games. Yes, the Buckeyes are 4-9 in the Big Ten. And yes, this team is almost certainly missing post-season play (of any kind) for the second consecutive season — it’s been that bad lately.
But don’t you dare try to tell me nothing is at stake as the Buckeyes (14-10, 4-9) travel to Madison Tuesday night to take on a reeling Wisconsin team. The Badgers (16-8, 8-5) have lost their last four games, including a 22-point drubbing at the hands of 11th-place Rutgers this weekend.
However, Wisconsin is still No. 18 in KenPom, No. 21 in the NET, and are 11-2 at home this season. That’s all to say that this Wisconsin team is still very talented, deep, and dangerous. Beating the Badgers within the not-so-friendly confines of the Kohl Center will not be easy.
History is at stake Tuesday night in Madison, as Ohio State would tie the program record for longest road losing streak if it doesn’t walk out of the Kohl Center victorious. A loss Tuesday night would make it 16 in a row, dating back to Jan. 1, 2023, when the Buckeyes knocked off Northwestern in Evanston for its most recent road win.
Winning on the road is hard — always has been, always will be. That’s why the NCAA values road wins more than it values home wins when evaluating for the NCAA Tournament, and that is why teams celebrate road wins so heavily, especially ones that happen in conference play.
Big Ten teams have a combined record of 31-74 this year playing on the road, winning 29.5% of the time. However, at 0-6, Ohio State is the only Big Ten team that has yet to win a road game. Michigan State and Nebraska have each won on the road once, and the other 11 B1G squads have all won at least two road games — even Michigan!
During the 1996-1997 season — the final season under Randy Ayers — Ohio State lost its final eight road games. Then Jim O’Brien took over, and the Buckeyes lost their first eight road games of the 1997-1998 season as well. From 1996-1998, Ohio State had a combined record of 18-39 (6-28 in Big Ten play) and missed the NCAA Tournament both years.
Ohio State is 30-29 over the past two seasons (so far), with a 9-24 record in Big Ten play. The two most recent Buckeye teams have been better than the 1996-1998 teams overall, but have been concerningly similar to those awful teams in Big Ten play.
The typical rule of thumb is to win most of your home games, try to win half of your road games, and you should be in a pretty good place come March. This team is 10-4 at home, so they’ve taken care of the “win most of your home games” part, even after blowing an 18-point lead to Indiana last week at the Schott. The issue, obviously, is that the Buckeyes have not won half of their road games.
Can you imagine a world where Ohio State was 3-3 on the road, instead of 0-6? It would have a record of 17-7, and be 7-6 in Big Ten play. That would put this team pretty safely into the NCAA Tournament field.
Alas, Chris Holtmann and his Buckeyes don’t have any road wins to boast. Part of it may be youth. Winning on the road is tough, but winning on the road with a bunch of underclassmen is tougher. Another issue is how bad this team is in the second half of games. They have the second-worst second-half point differential in the Big Ten, ahead of only Michigan. Receding into your shell in the second half is how you lose games, especially on the road.
But more than either of those things, this group of players just doesn’t know how to win yet. Neither the freshman or sophomore classes — nine of the 13 players on the roster — know what it’s like to play on a good team with NCAA Tournament hopes. Jamison Battle has only played on bad teams before coming to Ohio State — another bad team.
The only two players on this roster who have experienced winning in any form are Zed Key and Dale Bonner, who won plenty of games while he was at Baylor. Until this group strings several wins together and really learns how to win, it’s hard to envision them winning any big games, like Tuesday’s showdown in Madison.
And if they don’t win, they’ll get the “opportunity” to have that record all to themselves next Thursday at Minnesota.
POMEROY, Ohio (WCHS) — A fire destroyed one home and damaged two others Wednesday evening, but then rekindled early Thursday morning and destroyed another home, police said.
The fire was first reported just after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night in the 300 block of Wetzgall Street in Pomeroy, according to a press release from the Pomeroy Police Department.
According to police, the fire spread to the two homes on either side of the original home on fire. Firefighters contained the fire and saved the two surrounding homes, but the home that first caught fire was deemed a total loss.
Then, just after 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, the fire rekindled and spread to one of the other homes, resulting in a total loss of that home as well, police said.
Pomeroy police said both homes were occupied at the time of the fires, but all occupants of each home were able to exit their homes safely. Police also said that there were no reported injuries, though both families lost everything they owned due to the total losses of the homes.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and the incident is still under active investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, according to police.
What we know about student loans and the Education Department
Will Education Department restructuring affect your student loans? Here’s what we know know.
Student loan borrowers under the Biden-era student loan repayment plan, Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), may soon have to select a new repayment plan after the U.S. Department of Education agreed to a measure to permanently end the program.
A proposed joint settlement agreement announced Tuesday between the DOE and the State of Missouri seeks to end what officials call the “illegal” SAVE program, impacting more than seven million SAVE borrowers who would have to enroll in another program. The settlement must be approved by the court before it can be implemented.
Ohio borrowers carry some of the nation’s highest student loan debt. Here’s how the proposed change could affect them.
What is the SAVE plan?
Originally known as REPAYE, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan was created to deliver the lowest monthly payments among income-driven repayment programs. Under the Biden administration, it became the most affordable option for borrowers.
According to USA TODAY, the SAVE plan was part of Biden’s push to deliver nearly $200 billion in student loan relief to more than 5 million Americans. It wiped out $5.5 billion in debt for nearly half a million borrowers and cut many monthly payments down to $0.
But officials in President Donald Trump’s administration claim the Biden plan was illegal.
Why does the Department of Education want to end the SAVE plan?
The DOE says the SAVE plan aimed to provide mass forgiveness without congressional approval, costing taxpayers $342 billion over 10 years. In a press release, the Department said the administration promised unrealistically low payments and quick forgiveness without legal authority.
“The Trump administration is righting this wrong and bringing an end to this deceptive scheme,” Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a release. “Thanks to the State of Missouri and other states fighting against this egregious federal overreach, American taxpayers can now rest assured they will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for illegal and irresponsible student loan policies.”
If the agreement is approved by the court, no new borrowers will be able to enroll in the SAVE plan. The agency says it will deny any pending applications and move all SAVE borrowers back into other repayment plans.
Borrowers currently enrolled in the SAVE Plan would have a limited time to select a new repayment plan and begin repaying their student loans.
The DOE adds that it is working on the loan repayment provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, which created a new Income-Driven Repayment plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), that will be available to borrowers by July 1, 2026.
How many people in Ohio have student loan debt?
Numbers from the Education Data Initiative show that there are about 1.7 million student loan borrowers in Ohio, carrying over $60 billion in debt. The average student loan debt is approximately $35,072.
Ohio also ranks No. 10 among the states with the most student debt, according to personal finance site WalletHub.
How much money does Ohio get from the Department of Education?
The DOE budget for Ohio for fiscal year 2025 is estimated to be more than $5.65 billion, The Columbus Dispatch previously reported.
President Trump announced his intentions to eliminate the Department of Education earlier this year, meaning that Ohio could lose more than $5 billion in annual funding.
An employee of a Papa Johns restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio, is accused of shooting and killing a man inside the store on Tuesday night.
Police in Cincinnati said Murphy Tilk, 21, fatally shot 23-year-old Nawaf Althawadi inside the West Price Hill restaurant around 11 p.m., CBS affiliate WKRC reported. When first responders arrived at the restaurant on West Eighth Street, they performed life-saving measures on Althawadi, who died at the scene. Officials said the 21-year-old Tilk, who was taken into custody without incident and charged, is a Papa Johns employee, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Tilk booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center on a first-degree murder charge, the center’s records show. During Tilk’s initial court appearance on Wednesday, he was held without bond. The 21-year-old man has a bond hearing set for Saturday.
Law enforcement has not said what led up to the shooting or if Tilk and Althawadi knew each other. Police are investigating the shooting.
KDKA reached out to Papa Johns on Wednesday evening for comment, but has not heard back.
Papa Johns is a pizza chain with 6,000 locations globally, according to its website. It has 15 locations in Cincinnati.
Trump announces pardon for Tina Peters, increasing pressure to free her though he can’t erase state charges | CNN Politics
Alaska school district erases Veterans Day from official calendar: ‘Absolutely unacceptable’
Expert reveals key factor that led to massive Minnesota fraud scheme
Republicans protest double standard after judges call Texas redistricting plan ‘racially gerrymandered’
Barefoot father and son airlifted from Everglades mudhole after ATV runs out of gas: ‘Alligators are hungry’
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Trump announces pardon for Tina Peters, increasing pressure to free her though he can’t erase state charges | CNN Politics
Video: Hiker Rescued From Quicksand in Arches National Park
The Speaker’s Lobby: What Congress’ December script means for healthcare next year
Coalition of the Willing calls for transatlantic unity for Ukraine
In a setback for Trump, Indiana lawmakers defeat redistricting plan
-
Alaska6 days agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Politics1 week agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
Ohio1 week agoWho do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
Texas6 days agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
News1 week agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
World1 week agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Washington3 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa5 days agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire